Insight

In its struggle to gain a secure foothold in today’s global village, The Bahamas is ardently seeking models of success, particularly from the super states which control the lion’s share of the world’s wealth.

This article, the second in a two-part series, deals with initiatives to strengthen rights and privileges of individuals and communities. The first instalment, ‘A few words of advice to help a government off course’, published on October 29, addressed the need to upgrade our economic system for the 21st century.

AMID what has been deemed an energy crisis by some, public outcry over the increasing electricity costs has become commonplace in our society. Similarly, the lackadaisical response from our elected leaders has been disheartening. Indubitably, Bahamas Power and Light has become our nation’s greatest failure.

THE referenda, held individually in Antigua and Barbuda and Grenada, on replacing the British Judicial Committee of the Privy Council with the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) on November 6, were lost for the same reason that Brexit succeeded in the United Kingdom.

“Cooks and chefs are the backbone of the hospitality industry in any market and especially a thriving tourism market, where customers travel from far away to experience a relaxing vacation while dining on the local specialties. A major trend taking place currently in the hospitality industry worldwide and in The Bahamas is Culinary Tourism,” says chef J Desmond Keefe the executive director of Culinary Arts and Tourism Studies at University of The Bahamas.

IT HAS been almost 18 months since the Free National Movement became the Government of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas and many of us are still struggling to figure out just who this government is. What is their brand of governance? What will we remember them for? Will it be for taking a savvy campaign catchphrase and turning it into a punchline? Or as the government that unabashedly increased the tax burden on its citizenry?

The Social Media frenzy about the identity of Jean Rony Jean-Charles for him to have to “prove who he is” promotes a serious threat to the presumption of innocence in The Bahamas. Targeting Jean Rony puts everybody’s freedom and presumption of innocence at stake. We are all potential Jean Ronys.

Prime Minister Minnis’ tenure has not been short of blunders and contradictions - as any cursory search through his soundbites would reveal. A host of his campaign postures have since been walked back in some way or another. Dr Minnis, shortly after being sworn in as prime minister, made a bold proclamation to his ministers that reverberated throughout the nation. He cautioned his ministers against corruption, conflicts of interest and any unethical behaviour.

Over the past several months, a theme has emerged in public commentary suggesting that despite near universal high hopes following the landslide victory of May 10, 2017, the Minnis Administration has strayed badly off course and is haemorrhaging support on a daily basis.

Before Valentino Burrows enrolled at the Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute (BTVI), he admits to “floating through life.” He began his post-secondary pursuits at a local institution of higher learning, but it was not a good fit for him. It was not until he began classes at BTVI that he began soaring.

LIGHTHOUSE Point has been at the epicentre of intense debate over the past few months. And the government’s approval of Disney’s proposal to invest $400m into yet another cruise port is both the culmination of an emotionally-charged campaign and, perhaps, the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back.

Bahamians need a “come to Jesus moment” on national development. Those who advocate employment opportunities at more risk of destroying thousands in the future, amounts to a deal with the devil At the same time, environmentalists must understand that people have to live, and they can’t eat sand.

Three days. That’s how old I was when I first became a part of Eleuthera, after my mum and I were discharged from PMH. I was raised on Eleuthera until the early 1980s when, like so many Eleutheran families, the financial and educational realities forced my family to move to Nassau. I was lucky with scholarships and received a graduate degree with a focus on economics. I returned home to Eleuthera to get married and we take our children there at every possible opportunity.